Equinophobia
by howling-tonks
Summary: FE8 - A young princess Eirika is scared of horses. Whilst sending troops off to battle, King Fado calls on a knight and his horse to help the princess overcome her fear. Oneshot, lots of fluff!


**Okayyyy, this is my FIRST EVER FANFIC!! Any comments are appreciated, as I have no idea what I'm doing. Pleeeeeaaaase read it, and *hopefully* enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FIRE EMBLEM, OR ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT. IF I DID, WHY WOULD I BE WRITING THIS?**

**Equinophobia**

"But Father, there's just so many of them!" Eirika exclaimed. The little girl clutched her father's hand as she watched the soldiers marching past. They were being sent out to eliminate a large group of bandits who were terrorizing some of Renais's villages. The King of Renais, Fado, had come to see them off, along with his daughter. Eirika stared in awe at the amount of soldiers, all with gleaming armour and many mounted on beautiful horses. As much as she thought they were amazing creatures, Eirika couldn't help but fear horses, being so big and powerful.

Fado smiled down at his daughter. "Don't worry; they're not going to hurt you." Eirika smiled weakly.

"But Father, they're so big and s-scary..."Eirika mumbled. Fado let out a loud laugh.

"Come here, I'll show you how gentle horses are." The king led his daughter towards the line of soldiers, and stopped a soldier on a stunning chocolate-coloured horse. The knight himself was attractive, with dark-reddish hair and a young, handsome face. He bowed to the King, and gave a small smile to Eirika.

"What is your name, Sir?" King Fado asked the knight.

"Seth, your Majesty," The knight replied.

"Well, Seth, I have a small problem. My daughter has a fear of horses," Fado said. "I was wondering if you would let Eirika stroke your horse." Seth smiled at the small blue-haired princess.

"Certainly." Seth slid of the horse and gave it a quick pat. "If you can reach, pat her on the top of the head. She likes that." Eirika stretched up as far as she could, but couldn't reach even reach the top of its legs. Seth let out a small chuckle.

"Come here. I'll lift you up." Seth placed his hands under her arms and lifted her up with little difficulty. Eirika gasped as she was lifted into the air and came face to face with the mare. As her own blue eyes looked into the coffee-coloured depths of the horse's, she saw not rage and wilderness like she expected, but gentleness and docility. Eirika felt her fear leave her in an instant, and felt love replace it. She smiled broadly at the horse and patted its head softly. Fado smiled at his child, proud that she overcame her fear so quickly.

"Do you feel better now, Eirika?" Fado asked. Eirika nodded joyfully as she continued to stroke the horse's head. Seth put her back on the ground.

"Would you like to ride on her?" Seth asked. Eirika's eyes filled once again with fear. "Don't worry, she's very tame."

"Go on, Eirika. You'll regret it if you don't try," The King urged his daughter. Slowly, Eirika nodded.

"Okay, I'll try," She replied. "But what if I fall off?"

Seth let out a small chuckle. "Well, I'll be here to catch you, your Highness." Seth picked up the girl and carefully placed her on top of the horse. Eirika held on tightly to the reins. Both men applauded her.

"Well done, Eirika! You're doing very well," Fado praised. Eirika let out a small smile. She felt a rush of adrenaline, sitting on top of the mighty beast with the cool autumn wind rushing through her hair. Eirika could feel the power of the beautiful mare underneath her, and loved the closeness between her and the horse.

"Father, I did it!" Eirika exclaimed with joy as she spun around, forgetting she was not on the ground. She screamed as she fell of the side of the chocolate-coloured creature, and proceeded to near the muddy, icy grass.

A pair of hands wrapped around her waist as she was hoisted back up towards the sky again. As she opened her tightly-shut eyes, they came into contact with the face of the young knight.

"Be careful, you nearly hurt yourself there!" Seth exclaimed. Eirika felt her cheeks redden as she stared into his face. She turned her head to look at her father, whose eyes were full of worry.

"Eirika, you nearly gave me a heart attack! You have to learn not to be so clumsy," Her father scolded. Eirika blushed even more at the comments.

"It's not my fault, it's just who I am," She mumbled. Fado shook his head.

"Well, try not to scare me next time. You're starting to remind me more and more like your mother," he said. Eirika gasped softly. Her father hardly ever mentioned her mother. He was still suffering from losing her years ago, and every time she was mentioned, he would swiftly change the subject to avoid thinking about her.

Eirika turned back around, and realised that Seth was still holding her. Turning red again, she muttered, "Um, Sir Seth, could you please put me down now. It's just that my arms are starting to ache a little bit."

It was Seth's turn to blush now, as he swiftly lowered the girl back to the ground. Eirika quickly turned around and patted the horse's belly. "Thank you for letting me sit on you," she whispered to it, before giving it a small kiss.

"And don't forget to say thank you to Sir Seth, as well, Eirika," King Fado said sternly.

Eirika blushed once again as she swiftly swivelled round to face the knight. "Thank you so much for letting me meet your horse. I don't think that I am scared of horses anymore." The young princess gave him a broad smile, and to his surprise, a kiss on the cheek. Eirika marched back to her father and took his hand.

"Thank you Sir Seth for your time," Fado said. "I am sorry to have kept you. Please do your best in this battle."

Seth smiled. "Don't worry, your Majesty. I'll make sure we both come back so the princess can spend some more time with my horse." Seth winked at Eirika, and she felt herself go red once again. Damn, she was really going to have to keep her blushing under control.

The blue-haired child watched as Seth and his horse joined the line of soldiers and galloped off into the horizon. _If he comes back, I'll definitely go and see him and his horse again, _she thought. _No, don't think negatively, Eirika. __**When**__ he comes back..._

**Okay, so that was it. I originally came up with it when trying to write a story for a lame short story competition at school. Pleeeaaase review, and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is welcome, as I really need the help! **


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